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[DOG BARKING] SPEAKER 1: Main Street Radio has been to Good Thunder several times. The very first Main Street story was about the community. Reporter John Biewin told how the town hired artist T-Coumba Aiken to paint historical scenes on a grain elevator. The huge mural is dominated by a 40-foot portrait of the town's namesake Dakotah Indian, Good Thunder.

One reason the town commissioned the work was to attract attention and possibly new residents. In the fall of 1987, Anne Christensen saw the visible-for-miles painting as a beacon to artists wanting to live in a small town.

ANNE CHRISTENSEN: We had some artists living in town-- potters. We had some fine antique stores. None of those are any longer here, but we felt that we could rebuild-- revitalize that arts environment and try to expand on it.

SPEAKER 1: Six years later, Main Street Radio returned to Good Thunder. The huge painting still dominated the town's skyline, but it was obscured at times this Saturday afternoon by smoky fires in some downtown buildings.

[FIRE ALARMS SOUNDING]

SPEAKER 2: Fire Chiefs told us, you guys have got to move. You can't be on this side of the street.

SPEAKER 1: Police moved onlookers back from the intentionally-set fires. Town officials wanted to demolish some eyesore buildings and offered them to area fire departments for a training session.

Good Thunder leaders planned a community building and fire hall on the site. It was hoped the new structures would be the centerpiece of a revitalized downtown. That hasn't happened. A fire hall was built, a car wash went up, and a school addition is being built, but little else has changed today in Good Thunder.

Mayor Robert Anderson says the town's economic development efforts are at a standstill.

ROBERT ANDERSON: Oh, there used to be a chamber of commerce. I don't believe there's any one of them. And there used to be some economic development committee with a banker and a few other individuals. I think that's gone too. Nobody takes an interest.

SPEAKER 1: That doesn't mean the town of 650 people is near economic collapse. Most residents have good jobs in nearby Mankato, but it does mean Good Thunder isn't growing, and that's frustrating when many other towns are.

Mayor Anderson says one problem is the town doesn't have much land available for industry. Farm fields circling Good Thunder basically block expansion.

Also, it's difficult to find volunteers to work on economic development. Anderson says past efforts have depended on a few key people. When they moved out of Good Thunder, the economic development efforts collapsed.

ROBERT ANDERSON: It's the same people that always volunteer. After a while, they get burned out. You need new people that got ideas to come and help, but if nobody wants to come and help and the old guys get tired, they say that's enough.

SPEAKER 1: That's a familiar story to Dennis Welch. He works for Public Resource Group, a private Minneapolis company, which helps small towns attract jobs. He says many communities cannot afford a full-time economic developer, so he says they should look for a part-time worker.

Also, he says they should have an ongoing effort to make sure there are enough volunteers to keep economic development projects alive. He says continuity is crucial because when opportunity arrives, the town must be ready to act.

DENNIS WELCH: Some communities want an overnight fix. That doesn't happen in economic development. It's a time consumer. But if the right steps are taken, the projects will occur.

SPEAKER 1: Welch says another mistake towns make is they look for a savior company, one which will bring hundreds of jobs. He says that approach usually fails.

DENNIS WELCH: Prospecting from outside is more difficult than growing your businesses from within at any point. The businesses there have a reason to be there, and they want to continue to be there if expectations can be met by that community.

SPEAKER 1: That's a lesson Lincoln County in Southwest Minnesota has learned. Located about 100 miles west of Good Thunder, it concentrates mainly on helping home-grown businesses. Vince Robinson heads the Lincoln County Enterprise Development Corporation.

VINCE ROBINSON: My perspective is that I would rather see 200 or 300 jobs provided by 150 different businesses rather than 200 to 300 jobs in one business. Because if that one business runs into hard economic times, those 200 or 300 jobs are in jeopardy.

SPEAKER 1: One of the businesses Robinson has helped is Scott's Electronics in the community of Tyler. Scott Johansen moved back to his hometown to start the company. He works full time. His wife helps out part time. He says he's busy. Today's schedule is typical.

SCOTT JOHANSEN: I'm going to wire a house for a satellite dish and an antenna. And then after that, I have to put up a new small satellite dish. And after that, I've got to repair some wire that was cut underground. Well, I was going to take up most of the day.

SPEAKER 1: Johansen says the Lincoln County Development Group helped him plan his business and locate financing. In eight years, The group has helped create or maintain about 300 jobs, roughly 10% of the workforce in the County.

[SAW GRINDING]

Back in Good Thunder, a couple of blocks from the horses, Indians, and children painted on the grain elevator, an old building on Main Street is being remodeled. It's owned by two artists. It's the kind of small-scale economic development which helps keep communities alive.

Riya Mengiva and her husband live in the building and planned studio space as well. She grew up in Minneapolis but enjoys small-town life.

RIVA MENGIVA: I guess the changes I've made living in a small town is that I've relaxed a bit. I wouldn't even think twice about going out after dark or leaving my doors open or my husband going away for two weeks and me staying home alone doesn't bother me.

SPEAKER 1: Good thunder mayor Robert Anderson says that sense of security may be the town's biggest asset. He says even though Good Thunder hasn't had much luck finding jobs, there are enough people attracted to small-town life to fill the houses the community has available.

He hopes at some point that can be combined with more jobs, providing the economic base for growth in Good Thunder.

This is Mark Steil, Main Street Radio.